Electric distbibtttion with low-tension magnetos



V. DES ROCHES. ELECTRIC DISIRIBUTEON WITH Low TENSION MAGNETOS.

APPLICATION flkED FEB. H, 1M6. 1,1 95,981. PatentedAug. 29,1916.

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VICTOR DES ROCHES, OF FOND DU LAC, WISCONSIN.

ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTION WITH LOW-TENSION MAGNETOS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented A[lg 29 1916 Application filed February 14, 1916. Serial No. 78,310.

teries which in turn furnishes the energy for ignition and lighting of' automobiles equipped with explosion engines having low tension magnetos, such as are used with the Ford car, and concerning which, the following is a complete and clear description.--

Itis a well known fact, that all the advantages in ignition by a good single spark are not possible with magnetos such as are used in the Ford car, because during re.- tard or advance of spark lever, there are certain points 01'. positions where no spark 'can be obtained suitable for ignition. This is due to interrupting the circuit at times when sinusoidal alternating current from such low tension magneto is at or near the point of zero value. \Vith the vibrating system as now employed, due to the increased length of time the spark is existing,

these points of zero value do not stop the engine, however they detract from smooth running and perfect synchronism of spark with defined piston position which is necessary for this. At high speeds, this last effect is even more pronounced, due to a decrease in allowable time for ignition, when the vibrators cannot vibrate fast enough to insure getting perfect synchronism between sparkand piston position.

The advantages of a single spark such as is produced by a non-vibrating coil excited with a battery and controlled by a standard breaker-box and secondary distributer are toowell known to be commented upon, in regard to perfect synchronism of spark with piston position, absence of vibrator trouble, fatness of spark, andrlittle trouble from sooty plugs.

With this invention, the energy of alternating current from the magneto, as above described, is directed entirely to a commutator switching device mounted on the cam shaft, or in any other relation, where a fixed ratio'between it and the magneto, so employed, can be assured. The energy is transormed to a pulsatingdirect current suitable for charging a storage battery. The storage battery so supplied with energy, supplies current to the perfected ignition system, above, and to electric lights, horn, or electric self starter, or any of the various other appliances for operation on a car by a storage battery, and dispenses with the dead points in breaker adjustment described above. It can thus be seen that this inven tion will give a lighting and ignition system with good voltage regulation, so that the lights can burn at all times when car is needed and under the best suitable conditions to long life, irrespective of whether the engine is running or not and also giving the reliability or a reserve supply of energy. Also inasmuch as the magneto has an in herent self regulating feature in regard to current, the current .does not change much in value for quite a wide range in s eed and never exceeds at any speed a value etrimental to the average size storage battery. This dispenses with any form of regulator, and to provide a cutout to take care of battery discharge when engine is not running, an auxiliary-contact is placed on regular coil ignition switch, so that when spark is shut off, the connection between battery and commutating device is broken, and no re verse current takes place when engine is stopped. VVhe-n starting the engine however, there is always an appreciable interval of time between switching the spark and getting the engine running. A second switch is therefore interposed between commutating device and battery,-and in this case is opened by fully retarding the timing lever, a movement always essential to satisfactory and, safe starting. This last switch again allows the circuit to the battery to be closed as soon as the timer lever is advanced to any of the regular working positions -whefi the engine is running.

It is clear that by the use of the storage battery, the reliability of the system is increased to a point equal or greater than that of the magneto; but in order to take care of the possible overdischarge of the battery when the car is not in use, an occurrence that can easily take place by allowing the designed commutator having bars of alternate large and small widths, or their equivalent. The bars of small width being electrically dead, serve only to mechanically allow the brush to pass from one wide segment to another wide segment without allowing it to short circuit said wide segments. The alternate wide bars are connected together and one set of these to ground, thence by ground to the grounded terminals of the magneto; the other set of wide bars (which alternate with first set of wide bars) are connected together in a similar manner but in this case to a collector ring whose brush is connected to the insulated terminal of the magneto. The essential requirement is that the number of live or wide bars passed over in one revolution of this commutator shall equal the number ofpoles on magneto passed for one revolution of said commutator. In the particular case of mounting the commutator on the cam shaft, the commutator will revolve one revolution to every two of the engine, and as there are sixteen poles on magneto, the number of poles-for one revolution of the commutator will be thirty-two, and the number of wide segments will therefore be thirty-two. In addition to this there will be thirtytwo small segments to separate each of the wide segments. It -must be understood that it is not desired to limit the application of this commutating device to a position on the cam shaft, for by changing the number. of bars it can be applied in any manner to the car where a fixed relation to the magneto is maintained, and that the ap plication on the cam shaft gives simply the most compact and logical arrangement. It is therefore clear that the commutator functions as a synchronous pole changing switch, and causes the current to flow from the magneto by its brushes always in the same direc- 1 tion thereby giving a pulsating direct our- In this particular commutator, thewidth of narrow bars plus twice the thick-' ness of insulation between the bars. It should be noted that it is not desired to limit this application to bars in just these proportions; also the wide bars may consist of two or more smaller bars connected together to virtually form one equivalent wide bar, or the dead bars may be made of insulating material instead of metal.

Referring to the diagram, is shown a possible application to a car similar to the Ford, although I do not consider this the only application. In articular, the appli cation on the cam sha t is. simply the most convenient and simple way of applying the invention, and it is therefore possible to drive the machine by any other rigid mechanical connection providing a definite and fixed ratio to magneto shaft.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, the commutator 1 is shown in developed surface- It is made up of a set of wide metal bars 2 connectedby risers to interconnecting wire 7 thence to ground. A similar set of wide metal bars 3, is shown alternated with first set 2, but in this case they are connected by risers to interconnecting wire 8 thence to collector ring 9. Between each-wide metal bar of these alternate sets are the dead bars 4, insulated from the wide metal bars in the regular manner, and serving to carry the brushes over from bar to bar. These narrow dead bars 4 can be made of metal or insulation, but metal of same material as wide metal bars is desirable from standpoint of equal wear. One terminal of the magneto being grounded is already connected to wire 7since the wire 7 is grounded. The insulated terminal of the magneto is'connected by wire 37 to collector ring 9, thence to wires 8. Resting on any of the bars 3 is brush 6 and on any of bars 2 is brush 5, these brushes 5 and 6 being so placed that when brush 5 is on the center of wide bar 2, the center of the .other brush 6 is on the center of one of the opposite wide bars 3. The pulsating direct current thus obtained from these brushes 5 and 6 is led by brush 5, which we-will call tact 20 on ignition switch 18. When blade 21 of ignition switch 18 is connected to contacts l9 and 20, charging current is ready to flow from positive brush 6 by contact 20 through wire 27 to dash ammeter 23 and through wire 26 to storage battery 25 and will flow as soon as engine is running and spark is advanced by closing switch 12 operated by advancing timer control lever. It will be clear therefore that when blade 21 of ignition switch 18 is connected to contacts 19 and 20 that no reverse current will take place from storage battery 25 through commutating device, to magneto, unless the spark lever has been advanced which of course it ought not to be when starting. At

the same time ignition current flows from connected to ground in regular manner and its other terminal by wire 35 to secondary distributor 13 and from there by wires 40, the high tension current is led to the spark plugs in the regular manner. When switch lever 21 is thrown on contact 22; current is used from the dry cells 24 through wire 32 to contact 22 and excites the coil in the same manner as when the switch lever 21 is connected to contact 19 when energy from the storage battery is used. This last feature is simply added as an emergency feature in case storage battery should be overdischarged.

lVhile there are no particularly new features, connected with the use of a standard breaker-box and secondary distributer excited by battery current in this manner, I do believe the method of keeping the battery charged for ignition and lighting in this manner by the regular Ford magneto, is indeed new and exceedingly practical, and that by adopting the standard ignition system above described, makes this system worth while to every user of the car.

IV hat I claim new and wish to cover by Letters Patent is 1. In a system of electric distribution for internal combustion engines, the combination of a commutating rectifier mechanically connected to the engine and having two series of wide conductor bars separated by narrow insulated bars, a low tension magneto mechanically connected to the engine, electric circuits connecting the magneto and rectifier so that the alternating current from the magneto is rectified into a pulsating direct current, and a storage battery electrically connected to the rectifier.

In a system of electric distribution for internal combustion engines, the combination of'a commutating rectifier mechanically connected to the engine and provided with two sets of interposed segments and insulating bars separating said segments, a low ten sion magneto mechanically connected to the engine, a storage battery, a pair of brushes each in contact with a segment of one of said sets and electrically connected to said storage battery, and electric circuits between the magneto and said sets of segments.

3. In a system of electric distribution for internal combustion engines, the combination of a commutating rectifier mechanically connected to the engine and having two series of wide conductor bars separated by narrow insulated bars, a low tension magneto mechanically connected to the engine, electric circuits connecting the magneto and rectifier so that the alternating current from the magneto-is rectified into a pulsating direct current, a storage battery electrically Copies of thin patent may be obtained for connected to the rectifier, a switch, and electric circuits between the rectifier and the storage battery adapted to be closed by said switch.

4. In a system of electric distribution with low tension magnetos, the combination with an explosion engine, and a low tension magneto, of a commutating rectifier, suitable for charging a storage battery, said battery being connected to said rectifier by a switch,- closed when ignition is turned on, opened,- when ignition is turned ofi and by a second switch,open when spark is fully retarded, closed,when spark is advanced; thereby dispensing with any automatic cutout between rcctifier and battery herein as described.

5. In a system of electric distribution for internal combustion engines, the combina' tion of a low tension magneto mechanically connected to the engine, a rectifying commutator mechanically connected to the engine to rectify the alternating current from the magneto into a pulsating direct current suitable for charging a storage battery, a breaker-box, a secondary distributer, and a non-vibrating induction coil connected to 'said breaker and to said secondary distributer. I i

6. In a system of electric distribution for internal combustion engines, the combination of a low tension magneto mechanically connected to the engine, a rectifying commutator mechanically connected to the engine to rectify the alternating current from the magneto into a pulsating direct current suitable for charging a storage battery, a storage battery, a switch, circuits between the switch and the rectifier and battery which switch is open when the spark is turned oit the engine and closed when the spark isturned onto the engine, a second switch connected to said battery and rectifier which switch is open when the spark to the engine is retarded and closed when said spark is advanced, an induction coil and a breaker box, and a sec ondary distributer mechanically connected to the engine for controlling the time of the spark to the engine.

7. In a system of electric distribution with low tension magnetos, the combination with an explosion engine, and a low tension magneto, of a rectifying conin'iutator, breakerboX and secondary distriliuter driven by said explosion engine so that the alternating current from said magneto is rectified into a pulsating direct current suitable for charg mg a storage battery. v v

VICTOR DES HUGHES. Witnesses L. J. HAHMAN, E. R. SILVERTHORNE.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent: 

